Has anyone had problems with their feet getting sore and squashed from badly designed trainers?

I find trainers are always designed for narrow feet and that causes such problems for broadfooted people like myself. I have a wornout pair of New Balance trainers that I'm looking to replace and I'm aiming at getting the broadest width I can find, my back-up pair are narrow and after yesterdays 20 minute interval run my feet are sore from being scrunched up.

It's REALLY hard though, to find trainers for broad feet that are vegan and not from sweatshops- that adds an extra layer of complication. What sort of trainers do you all wear?

As for sweatshop-free, vegan trainers . . . I think New Balance is your only option. Fortunately, they come in a ton of widths, so you should be able to get some that are wide enough . . .

Insoles are another option . . . but if you are already getting scrunched, you would want to try on whatever shoes you're considering with the insoles you'll be using. I have a pair of shoes that, with the stock insoles are too roomy, but with my aftermarket insoles fit just right . . . what I'm trying to say is that you can customize your fit in all sorts of ways - widths, insoles, socks, lacing . . . for me it was a lot of trial and error.

It is really unfortunate that NBs are the only sweatshop free "real" running shoes around (at least that I can find), because the single most important thing for quality running is have shoes that fit you properly . . . There are a few varieties of NBs that I absolutely cannot wear because they just don't fit my feet . . . that, and the fact that actually, only a few NB models are in fact sweatshop-free, sometimes leave me in a tough spot, literally.

If anybody has any alternatives to New Balance in the vegan/sweatshop-free/quality running shoe department, please share!

-josh

"Humanity can not be made equal by declarations on paper. Unless the material conditions for equality exist, it is worse than mockery to pronounce men equal."
~Voltairine de Cleyre

yep, same boat as I'm in. According to the Ethical Consumer, NB are as guilty as all the other fat cat players in the sports gear industry, this is an excerpt from the EC report:

'According to a report by the trade union publication UNITE on 6th January 1999, anti-sweatshop protestors in Boston had exposed the New Balance Athletic Shoe company's exploitation of workers in China and the U.S. It said that New Balance had been increasing its use of imports from China and other developing countries known for having poor working conditions and that nearly 50% of New Balance's products had been being made in foreign countries. According to the report, in China, investigators had found New Balance shoes being made at a factory where workers had been forced to work up to 84 hours per week for as little as 19 cents an hour. It said New Balance's imports from China had been up over 36% in the first nine months of 1998. In the U.S., at New Balance's distribution center in Massachusetts, nearly 50% of the company's workforce are low-wage, no-benefit temporary workers. New Balance's use of temporary workers in its distribution center was up nearly tenfold in 1998. Workers at this facility voted to be represented by UNITE in April of 1998.'

So yeah, I can buy their UK made vegan trainers and let them know why I'm making that choice, but is it an ethical choice?

Good trainers are really essential, there are no companies offering vegan ethical trainers out there. I reckon non-vegans interested n sweatshop free gear would buy them anyway. Any entrepreneurs on VF interested in starting a vegan trainer company?!

I'm interested in getting a pair of the Adbusters trainer when it comes out. It's not particularly good for running (but they could be modififed with the right in-sole) but they are definitely ethical. Have a look: http://www.blackspotsneaker.org/sneaker.html

yeah, I saw that . . . it looks like a low-cut Chuck Taylor with a bleach spot and a red dot on the toe, right? I kinda doubt that even with the best insoles in the world, that would be a comfortable shoe for running in . . . at least compared to other running-specific shoes out there . . . that's a tough choice for a runner, compromise your ethics or sacrifice your knees.

By the way you might be interested in this (and check out the bottom "running shoes" blurb - they're ambitious):

excellent idea, I'll have to get a pair of those, if only to support adbusters who are absolutely brilliant. I don't see myself running in them though- even with insoles I'm an over-pronator and that style of sneaker just kills my feet.

I bought a pair of "training shoes" from an online vegan store. They were quite thin and not very pleasant on the ankle.
Anyway this resulted in blood spurting up the back of my heel. I really did not like them after that.

Another pair that i bought were good, they fitted nice. They just were not appropriate for doing a lot of fast running in. I got Plantar faciitis which was annoying as it stopped me from my running training.

More recently i bought a pair of New balance after i had my feet tested for angle and stuff. I had to buy the widest pair. They are really good. I contacted NB and said that i would only buy their vegan ones that were made in England. Luckily one of the pairs that i could buy were appropriate.